The rear camera of the iPhone SE includes support for Portrait mode, but with one limitation: it only works for people, not for all objects. A new update to the Halide Camera and Spectre Camera apps, however, adds support for the iPhone SE — including bringing Portrait mode to all objects.
The iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro both support Portrait mode for humans as well as objects and pets. This means you can apply and adjust the bokeh filter to pets and objects, just like you would for humans. On the iPhone SE, this functionality is more limited.
With the iPhone SE, much like with the iPhone XR, when you try and take a Portrait mode image of your pet or an object, a message will appear that reads “no person detected.” Switch to a person, and everything works perfectly. This is a software limitation, as Apple is relying on software to mimic the camera features of dual-camera iPhones on the single-lens iPhone SE. Halide aims to remove these limitations.
The Halide developers have released updates this week to both of their camera apps on iOS, Halide and Spectre. Both updates add full support for the iPhone SE, as well as Portrait mode for all objects. What this means is that in the Halide and Spectre apps, you can use Portrait mode just like you would on an iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro.
Halide teases that it has a full camera breakdown for the iPhone SE coming next week. This will offer a close-up look at the iPhone SE’s camera hardware, including how it compares to the iPhone 8.
You can download Halide Camera on the App Store for $5.99 and Spectre Camera on the App Store for $2.99.
